Public consultation launched to tackle rates of violence against women and girls in NI

The first steps towards developing a strategy for ending violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland have been taken. 

The public are being asked to give their views on a new action plan that aims to deliver solutions for the root causes of violence, and tackle an issue which in recent times has plagued society here. 

Every sixteen minutes there’s an issue of domestic violence in Northern Ireland, and since 2020 eighteen women have been murdered here. 

The figures make Northern Ireland one of the most dangerous places in Europe to be a woman, yet at present we’re the only part of the UK without a specific strategy for ending violence against women and girls. 

This public consultation, launched by the Executive Office, is the first step to changing that. 

Sarah Mason from Women’s Aid said, “This isn’t the sort of strategy that’s going to give ministers big key note successes in week one, this is actually generational change.

"What we’re looking at now is the whole issue of violence against women and girls and how Northern Ireland is quite an unsafe place for women and girls to live. 

This is everyone’s business, it’s not just the business of women’s organisations. Men and boys need to be involved in this process as well, and we need to address misogyny right across society here.” 

Those working on the frontlines of this crisis know just how badly a strategy is needed in order to combat violence against women and girls. 

“Just this morning I was meeting with my team about how we’re managing demand at the moment,” said Kelly Andrews from Women’s Aid. 

“Our refuges are full, we know that we need more refuge provision, and in Belfast there’s a gap in provision.

‘Our outreach services are growing, we had over 7444 women and children that were supported in outreach across Northern Ireland, that’s a huge number and it’s only increasing.” 

Duane Farrell from Relate NI said his organisation is facing similar challenges trying to combat domestic abuse. 

“The pressure’s been building over a number of years now” he said. 

“I think as a society we’ve known this is a major issue, for Relate NI we’re providing relationships and sexuality education to young people in community settings. 

‘We can see first hand that young people are using friends and social media as their primary sources of information, and that doesn’t help aligning values in a way that is going to support us to end violence against women and girls.” 

The public consultation is open for twelve weeks and set to close on 3rd October, however it will need ministerial sign off before it can reach the next stages. 

With the lack of a sitting Executive, it’s unclear just how soon the strategy can be implemented.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.